"I don't think I've ever seen you around here before." April said over the loud humming of techno pop music. After talking to this guy for a while she had run out of things to say, she was never really one for much socializing. The man who introduced himself as Marak earlier spoke, "I should be saying the same to you." He fingered a streak of pink in her hair and smiled. This guy's costume is really detailed. He had painted his skin a grayish green color and had black pointed nails. The mass of hair on his head was a dark brown maybe some red in it. With the lighting at the party she really couldn't be sure. He was tall and lean and just her type. April pointed to the two fangs protruding over his bottom lip.
"Are those real? If not you'll have to tell me where you got them, they're fantastic!"
There was some slight pushing from the people dancing at the party. It didn't help that she and her new friend were in the middle of dancing adolescents. Marak hadn't said anything to her in awhile. He wasn't really dancing either, just looking at her and slightly moving, as if he were just swaying to the suggestive music.
April was getting ready to walk off to some new group where the people actually answered your questions, but he started to grin. She was confused.
"What?" He grinned a bit wider, showing off more teeth of less equal size and shape.
"You'll find out sooner or later." She started to get an uneasy feeling from him.
"I'll be right back!"
She left Marak staring after her to go to the bathroom. She ventured down the hallway and up the stairs passing a few hook ups along the way. April opened several doors trying to find the bathroom, after the fifth one she succeeded.
My god these things keep falling out. She thought to herself as she pulled out some of the clip on hair extensions. There was a wad of fake pink hair in her hand. April smiled slightly, Marak seemed to be really into her, but now she was getting a weird vibe from him. Just ride it out, if he ends up being a total weirdo at the end of the night, you don't have to call him. She straightened her punk rock Barbie costume out and redid her pink eyeliner and lipstick. So far no one at the party could figure out what or who she was, so she gave up on the idea that it was a good concept for a costume. One final look in the mirror and she walked out into the hallway.
There was an eerie silence. The music was gone and she couldn't hear any of her guests. April walked down the hallway slowly expecting a whole group of people to jump out and yell "Surprise!" There was nothing, she could hear nothing. Her pink and black high-heeled boots clacked against the hard wood floors. She walked down the stairs thinking that maybe everyone went crazy and performed a mass suicide in her newly inherited house. That would be such a nice welcome present. She thought grimly. April made it to the base of the stairs and she looked around. There was no mess one would expect to find at a house party, but instead order and cleanliness.
"This is a little too weird." She said out loud to herself. There was a slight clicking pop by the door in the living room that lead to a balcony. April looked outside the windowpanes in the door. It seemed as if Marak was the only one still there. She sighed a breath of relief thinking that something severely bad had occurred. She walked across the living room and opened the door.
"Hey Marak." He turned around and she thought his eyes were glowing! April squinted her eyes for a moment.
"Hello April." She walked over to him, but careful to not get too close. What do I say? She grasped at words to try and ask what happened and why did everyone leave without trying to sound stupid.
"Where did everyone go?" He didn't answer.
"Hello, I'm talking to you. It's rude to ignore someone."
"The lake looks very beautiful tonight, does it not?" April was puzzled by his off hand comment.
"Yeah, I guess so." She didn't know what else to say. Obviously she couldn't talk to him because he wouldn't ever answer her questions. They sat in silence for several moments.
Marak spoke, "Tell me how you came to be here. I'm very interested that I've never seen you if you have resided here for quite some time." There was something hypnotizing about his voice that compelled her to speak, if he had asked her to share her secrets she most likely would have.
"I haven't been here that long, only a couple weeks. I inherited this place you know? I don't know how exactly I came to inherit it in the first place, but it was in my great aunts will that I get this place. Hollow Hill, its kind of a weird name isn't it?" Marak's next statement puzzled her even more.
"What if the land here was hollow? The name wouldn't be too ridiculous then, would it?" She thought about it for a moment.
"I suppose not, but wouldn't my house sink under the ground if the ground under it really was hollow?"
He turned toward her and smiled. "Not unless magic held it up." Then he pulled his right hand out of his cloak, but instead of a hand there was a black paw. There wasn't anything right about this situation and her gut feeling told her to run. Without thinking she ran inside the house, across the living room and out the front door. The forest surrounding her house looked menacing and frightful. I'd rather face wood critters than a freak show. April took off trying to loose herself hoping that if she didn't know where she was headed, then neither did he. She could hear her own footsteps clumsily breaking branches and trips over vines. She never did see a dark figure closing in on her.
There was a clearing about fifteen yards away. There was a stitch in her side and her lungs burned. His voice rang out all around her, she couldn't pin point it to one spot.
"What if Hollow Hill had goblins under the hill? What if their Goblin King left at night to find a human girl to be his wife?" April was frightened and tears sprang to her eyes. The clearing was only a few yards ahead of her. Her heart sang and it did not matter that her legs felt like jelly or that her throat was closing up with each breath. Only a few more steps! She had almost made it! Something jerked her back. She hit something hard. Breath blew raggedly into her ear sending chills down her spine.
"What if the Goblin King chose you to be his wife?" She let out a loud yelp and struggled and pulled. April unzipped her pink shirt and slipped out of his grasp. Her skin prickled being introduced to the night air. She was left in a black tank top and it did nothing to control her shivering. April ran leaving behind an angry Goblin King. She kept running until she had reached the dead center of the clearing, there her legs gave out from under her.
There was an instantaneous laughing from the other side of the clearing. April screamed, even though it pained her to do so.
"Leave me alone! I don't want to be your wife!" She collapsed into the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"April come to me, stop this silliness now. Of course you're going to be my wife, there's no way around it. Well, not for you anyway." He chuckled at his own joke. She still cried, mascara and eyeliner running and stinging her eyes.
"Leave me alone. I can't do this!" She still protested. His eyes could be seen all the way from where she was.
"Come to me April." His voicing was deep and loud. It shook her to her very core. Against her will, her legs started to stand up and walk to Marak. April tried to stop herself; she struggled and tossed herself on the ground. No matter what she did, the result was still the same. She had made it to the edge of the circle, one more step and she would be in his grasp. April shook her head, tears streaming out of her eyes.
"No please, don't make me do this." A paw and a now scary hand grasped her in a tight embrace.
"You will love my kingdom and my people will love you." April still struggled within his hold, even though her struggling was weak. Marak whispered something, but April never heard it. Soon she was welcomed into the darkness of sleep and slumped on Marak. He pushed some of her blonde hair behind her ears.
"You are so beautiful." He said to her quietly. He then picked her up bridal style and walked, with each step he started getting pulled under then ground, to his kingdom.
Disclaimer: I own my own characters such as April, and this new Marak who is quite a few generations later than the books. I don't own anything or get any profit from this. Hope you enjoyed!
